The Academy Award nominees for Best Picture for 1946 are a diverse selection of Hollywood’s best work at the peak of its production.

Two decades ago, one of the greatest experiments in cinema history was released. J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings was adapted by director Peter Jackson and co-screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. This sprawling fantasy was filmed back-to-back over fourteen months with a budget of nearly $300 million from production company New Line Cinema and was released as three epic films during December of three consecutive years.